The Muppet Christmas Carol Was Almost a TV Special Instead of a Movie

Brian Henson, Jerry Juhl and the rest of the Jim Henson Company were initially reluctant to pursue the project as it would be the first Muppet movie without their creator. But as Henson recounted during the retrospective panel, everyone ended up buying into Katzenberg's idea.

"[My dad, Jim Henson,] really didn't know where to go with the next Muppet movie. And then, of course, not having him with us anymore, we don't even think, 'Wow, that 'are we going to do next with the Muppets?' We were really scared and cautious and what we achieved by really embracing "A Christmas Carol" and really creating a whole new world that wasn't our world but had the Muppets was the fact that we could do something very fresh and different. . Then we really fell in love with it."

It's great that they did, because Christmas wouldn't be complete for generations of fans without an annual viewing of "The Muppet Christmas Carol." And now, with the final version on its way to the Mouse House streaming service, it can actually be watched as intended: on a TV (or one of your devices) and with the song "When Love Is Gone". to make it all make sense once again.

The new and improved version of "The Muppet Christmas Carol" will premiere on Disney+ on December 11, 2022, exactly 30 years after the film's first theatrical release.